In the Night
by Attack on MLG
Summary: You don't know how it happened. A drug? A curse? Well, whatever it was, it had driven you insane to which you were murdering those who came too close to you as you cried and sobbed. You couldn't ask them for an explanation, because they would just scream. They couldn't recognise you… you couldn't recognise you. 'Make your enemy your friend? How could you befriend yourself?
1. The murder

**Shoutout to all the people who like gore and horror and pain and- never mind. I just wanna go ahead and give the usual warning for gruesome fics like this that there is gonna be shit going down. I guess this first chappie is really up to you on who you think it's based around? Leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews!1!1!1! Much love!**

* * *

 _Blood… it was everywhere…_

 _My mind… it was everywhere…_

Crimson flooded the ground beneath my feet, throwing itself up the trees and over anything it could find. My surroundings were stuffy, heated with the heavy pants I struggled to let out… but it was dark. Cold winds, swaying trees, empty forest and scattered limbs leaving the strong scent of rotting flesh, driving my senses painfully insane as I collapse to my knees helplessly in a fit of tears and screams and cries of mercy.

The woman had been at the decent age in which she had just left her twenties. Golden hair and a perky voice leading me to her reluctantly. The three toddlers that had witnessed the attack were stained in their mother's vital substances and organs as they became stunned in a state of horrific shock. I tried to block out the rest of the event, not wanting to remember such an awful and disgustingly gruesome image. My fingers found their way into my mouth as I felt around in the mass of thick, metallic slop I had so ruthlessly earned, grimacing as I spat aggressively out a chunk of thick skin onto the dirt. I would've cried tears of blood if I could. I would've tried to speak words other than scared and worried trembles if I could. I couldn't do anything. Couldn't touch her, bring her back to life, reverse the clock.

This was the opposite of my job.

Ninja are meant to stop crime, not create it. What would my friends think of me if they find out? The question dawned on me eerily. They would kill me… or I would kill them… No. I shook my head stubbornly and dug my nails into into my skull, not really caring if I drew more blood to add to the mess.

Surely this would be on the news later on. Everyone would be hunting me down day and night until I stopped myself. My family would set out to finish me, oblivious that the ruthless criminal was among them every step of the way. Cautiously I slowly raised my head up from my knees, the moon glinting them with bright flecks of gold as I nervously scanned the ruined area once more. Instantly I swallowed thickly, not daring to move a muscle as the stranger flashed a quick picture on their smartphone. The boy's eyes were wide as he exhaled into the cold air of the night, clearly having mixed emotions about our encounter.

He silently muttered a curse word under his breath, keeping firm eye contact as he lowered his arm and slid his phone back into his hoodie pocket, before taking a step to his right. I can't really remember what happened after that… the painful screams as I sliced open his youthful flesh haunting me as I stumbled in the uncertain direction of the Bounty.

That kid was just lucky I let him go before I lost control even more.


	2. The headlines

"Kai? Kai, are you okay?" Cole hardened his gaze slightly as he peered down at his brother, chewing his lip with concern. The fire master let out a dramatised groan of despair and draped his arm over his eyes pathetically.

He sighed loudly, slowly shuffling to his feet. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine, Cole." The shorter boy smiled gladly and nodded at the brunet confidently, humming to himself intently as he squatted down and retrieved his sythe.

"Good. I just didn't expect Jay to beat you that quickly- or at all for that matter. I guess I should make rearrangements to the training duos? I take on Jay and you have a shot at Zane?"

Kai was quick to disagree, shaking his head abruptly and stepping closer to the concerned teen. "No! No! No! It's fine! I'm just a bit tired, that's all! Don't worry about training. Guess I'm feeling odd, no biggie." He ruffled Cole's hair playfully as the Earth Master became angrily flustered.

He growled lowly and gripped his sythe tighter, trying to hide the annoyed blush creeping up on his cheeks by stomping his foot stubbornly on the deck's wooden surface. A minor, but quite noticeable crack was scarred into the wood plank permanently; the ninja were used to this. Kai inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose irritably, closing his eyes in concentration as he spoke slowly and carefully. "I swear to the First Spinjitzu Master I could honestly kill you right now…" He muttered under his breath before making stern eye contact with his brother in arms. "Listen, I get that you're Rocky-Boy and have super strength, but this is really getting out of hand-"

"Ah! Kai! I want to ask you of a favour!" Nya pranced happily over to the two, ignoring the glare planted on her brother's face. She waited a few seconds before she continued, not liking the tense atmosphere. "Um, anywho… Oh Yeah! After Jay ran inside and waffled on about 'knocking you out', Zane asked me to ask you if you want to help–"

"I'll do it!" Cole suddenly spoke, beaming a pleased smile at the female Ninja.

Nya raised a brow nervously, slightly taken aback by the short outburst. "You wanna go with Zane and get the weekly shop?- Oh, okay then." She blinked in confusion as her friend sped past her and into the Bounty, throwing his sythe behind him as he disappeared inside without a trace. The raventette muffed her giggles with her hand as she returned her attention to her brother. Kai continued to glare intensely at the crack on the floor.

"He's taking his anger out on vital things that we need to survive, Nya." He stated boldly, his voice slightly darker in tone than before. "I don't like it."

The Water Master snorted loudly and clapped the brunet on the back. "T-Talk about a hypocrite! Cole can't help it when he gets annoyed! You can!"

"No I can't. I had a rough night and barely got any sleep." He sighed in self pity and glanced down at the floor, shaking his head slowly. "Nya, I feel ill and exhausted and not in the mood to deal with Cole's elemental destruction. I have zero energy and just want to sleep… is that too much to ask for?"

Nya folded her arms over her chest, pursing her lips sternly. She cautiously eyed her brother with growing worry. "If you're feeling _that_ bad then I guess I could call up Zane and ask him and Cole to fetch you some medicine… and some chicken soup. We all know you like that stuff." Kai rolled his eyes in annoyance as he nodded sheepishly in agreement, his sister smiling brightly and surely.

"Yeah… I think I'll need it…" He grumbled tiredly, groaning irritably as another migraine kicked in.

* * *

Zane sighed to himself as he slid his phone back into his pocket, shaking his head pitifully at the inconvenient news. Without looking at his brother he began to speak, quietly pulling out his wallet and checking their money. "Cole, I am afraid that we need to go the pharmacy again and get Kai some medicine. It seems that he is feeling rather ill."

Cole quickly looked up from his daze with a childish groan, pouting irritably. "But you said we were about to go back home! I'm hungry and thirsty-"

"I will buy you something after we have gotten the pills. You can have a sip of my water now, if you are thirsty. And I do not care if you want a proper bottle of water or juice or whatever. Sensei is still sceptical about you and liquids, you know that, so I suggest that you have it now and get it over with." The nindroid lectured protectively as he handed the black ninja his nearly empty bottle. Cole rolled his eyes angrily as he snatched the drink into his firm grasp and clicked open the cap, trying to impatiently ignore Zane's intense stare as he closed his eyes and began to gladly swallow the rare, refreshing substance into his system.

"Stop." Zane raised his voice anxiously and retrieved the bottle at lightning speed, unfazed by his brother's shocked and offended gasp as he folded his arms in a stroppy manner.

"I barely had any!"

"We don't know what too much could do to you, brother-"

"I haven't showered in three days, I can't train with Nya when we use own elements, I haven't been allowed to go outside when it's damp! I understand that I have this weird scar thingy and all, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not dead anymore." Cole retorted. He fidgeted slightly on the wooden bench and avoided the Ice Master's perplexed gaze, hugging himself angrily. Zane didn't say anything, he only kept his mouth shut and started to double check the shopping bags and his pocket, taking an extremely sharp and sneaky glance to see if the former ghost had calmed down. Fortunately, when he was asked, Cole was more than ready to set off and get the final shopping over with, already having decided on what he wanted from the small bakery down the street.

After collecting Kai's medicine the two ninja had both gotten a sweet treat from the said bakery, Zane getting a gingerbread man and Cole happily munching on a triple-chocolate-chip cookie. The majority of the walk back was peacefully quiet, aside from the yapping children and noisy midday-drunks, but something that really disturbed the teens were the front pages of the daily newspapers.

"Young boy brutally injured after capturing evidence of Ninjago's latest threat?" Zane mused over the bold text intriguingly, narrowing his gaze rather harshly as he continued to read the interesting article. "Teenager Bradley Tudabone was found by his friend abandoned and unconscious on the night of yesterday at three PM with dangerous wounds that could've ended his life. Recent discoveries shows of a wolf-like creature caught on camera seconds before it attacked its second victim… Cole, it appears that some kind of dog is terrorising pedestrians."

"Lloyd's friend, isn't it? That kid from Darkley's." The Earth Master muttered confidently, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "The others have probably seen this while we've been out. Speaking of which, can we go now?" He raised his voice slightly at the last sentence, clearly annoyed by Zane's obvious stalling. The Nindroid simply raised a finger silently at his brother, not taking his eyes off the newspaper determinedly.

"You cocky son of a… Zane, why. Aren't. We. Moving." Cole groaned, running a hand through his hair pathetically. "Dude, I get that you're concerned for Ninjago and everything-"

Zane closed the newspaper neatly and shoved it into one of the carrier bags, shaking his head mockingly. "I'm concerned for you, Cole. You need to understand why I am being so protective of you lately and what would happen if I wasn't keeping you in check." He inhaled, closing his eyes maturely as he began to speak with great precision. "You are human now, yes. You have that ghost scar, yes. Both Pixal and I wonder if you can still obtain the powers of a ghost, even without being dead. That would be my reason for concern when you encounter liquids, because you could suddenly switch to a ghost and not even realise, which would be extremely painful in any wet situation."

Cole frowned guiltily and shuffled closer to his brother across the random bench at the side of the road, resting his head gently on the blond's shoulder. He sniffed and swallowed the small lump his throat, confused as to why he was suddenly getting so emotional. "I-I'm sorry for hurting your feelings… I don't know why I'm so hormonal lately… guess it's the transition between dead to alive…?" They shared a quiet laugh, Zane wrapping his arm around the smaller boy's waist and pulling him closer to his chest. Cole stubbornly forced down the bashful, pink tint dusting his cheeks, instantly feeling oddly insecure. "I hope you can forgive me, Zane. I honestly didn't mean to upset you or Pixal or anyone-"

"Do not worry." The White Ninja smiled softly as he met his brother's nervous stare, their eyes locking together effortlessly as the cold touch of Zane's slender fingers graced and tilted the Raven's jaw upwards, his mouth agape in bewilderment and stun. "I forgive you…"

He slowly guided Cole's soft lips onto his, quite amused by how the stubborn boy was anxiously kissing back.

* * *

 **"Hey, Natasha, I thought you only wrote Lava? What's up with this cute Glacier, huh?"**

 **BECAUSE ITS FUCKING ADORABLE AND I BASICALLY HAVE AN ADDICTION TO BOTTOM COLE YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS BY NOW JEEZZZZZ**

 **Well, I can assure you all that this is -I think?- the first story I've done where it starts off with some Zane x Cole action? I started to notice that a lot of my readers liked it in Insulted Prey, so why not in this one then?!**

 **Btw don't forget to tell me who you think the killer is and why…**

 **Anyways, go ahead and review your lovely comments! Much love!**


	3. The breakdown

"You two took your time!" Lloyd exclaimed loudly as his brothers entered the control room, everyone waiting for them patiently. "What took you so long, eh?" Cole quickly avoided the blond's curiously amused expression by shielding his eye bashfully with his hair, manoeuvring over to the wall where he could sink further into himself.

All eyes were on him as the Green Ninja repeated his question, now slightly concerned. "Cole. What happened. There's no point hiding anything because I can easily just ask Zane-"

"Brad's in hospital." He raised his voice sternly, continuing to stare at the floor grumpily, folding his arms over his chest. "In the papers it said that he was attacked by some kind of dog. Apparently that same dog had also murdered some woman only thirty minutes beforehand, so you can guess how aggressive it was."

Lloyd froze mid-pace, his breath hitching ever so slightly. "I'm gonna speak to the commissioner in a few hours, thanks for telling me, Cole." He nodded thankfully over at the Earth Master. Quietly he exited the room, probably to do further research on the new and disappointing information. Everyone was silent for a moment, before Jay coughed loudly into his fist. He smirked up at Cole as he narrowed his gaze sternly.

"What took you so long to get back? Reading the front page of a newspaper wouldn't have taken you an extra thirty minutes, you know. So c'mon, spill it Rocky Boy!"

Cole gulped nervously as his cheeks became dusted with pink. "N-Nothing else happened-"

"Zane!" The Blue Ninja awkwardly scooted his chair to face the Nindroid pleasantly. Zane shook his head calmly, not wanting to upset his clearly bashful teammate.

"I am sorry, Jay, but I sense that Cole does not wish for the private information to be spread. It is rather important, you see." He let his stare take in the hyped expression on the brunet's face, the said ninja squealing like a young child.

Suddenly Jay began pointing sharply at his shy brother, failing to contain his excitement. "You-You! You're blushing, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You've got a crush, haven't you?! Finally someone other than Nya- ouch!" The water Master punched her boyfriend in the arm playfully, yet confused by the sudden accusations on his friend.

"Leave it, Jay. Just because someone's nervous doesn't mean they like someone." She scolded, however her amused grin stayed put. Nya smiled softly at the irritated raven, meeting his bashful, pathetic glare. "Don't worry, Cole. Jay, and everyone else, won't gonna harass you."

Cole muttered a small "thanks" and sighed, bowing his head miserably as the others exchanged glances. Kai groaned loudly as he leaned back in his chair, pulling his hair irritably. "Ohhhhhhh myyyyyy godddddddddd~"

Zane raised a brow at his brother's worrisome behaviour, allowing Pixal to feed him the results of his quick scan. " _Kai is mentally distressed and is experiencing episodes of painful headaches. It's seems that the medicine is not doing him justice._ " The Nindroid hummed in agreement, taking into consideration how the Fire Master did like to overdramatise things, usually as a way to get out of chores and other simple duties. Quietly he stepped over to him and, whispering closely into Kai's ear, addressed his concerns.

"I suggest you go to bed-"

"ZANE WHAT THE FU-" Kai threw himself out of his seat and harshly onto the floor, panting heavily as everyone stared at him in utter shock. The Ice Master cocked his head innocently as his brother looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't you dare scare me like that. H-Holy crap, you take the 'Ninja' thing wayyyy to seriously!" His gaze hastily followed his other brother as he began to sneakily creep out the room, wincing as he was called out. "Hey! Just because you're not a ghost anymore doesn't mean you can still run off without permission!"

Cole froze eerily, tensing at the Fire Master's words. Nya glared at her brothe angrily, knowing all too well how sensitive their friend was on the subject. "Kai, you didn't need to say that!" She hissed, taking a second glance over at the door. The space was now empty as Jay sighed and stood up, stretching awkwardly.

"I'll go see him-"

"No! N-No, I'll go."

* * *

The door creaked open slowly, confirming the red ninja's suspicions. Cole was sat on his bed, face buried in his knees as he stayed completely still. That was his way of disappearing; if he can't see us, then we can't see him.

"Kai… go away…" He muttered, not looking up at the intruder. Kai narrowed his gaze sternly, utterly shocked as to how his upset brother knew it was him. Quietly he shuffled his way over to the bed, squeezing the latter's shoulder hesitantly in an effort to get some answers.

"I'm sorry about what I said. I shouldn't have brought up the topic and I didn't mean to mak—"

Cole suddenly snapped his head upwards, eyes tearful, lip trembling and clearly pissed off. "Liar! If you didn't mean it, then why would you say it?! You have absolutely NO idea what went on in that Temple! You have NO idea how h-horrible it is to have your life t-t-tossed about like a worthless piece of crap!"

"Cole! Calm down! Stop overreacting!"

"NO! NO, LET ME SPEAK! You have NO right to be telling me how to feel! First you're a human, and then the next you're cursed and transparent and have a higher chance of death! Then, once you're actually starting to cope again, you are pulled back into you're old life and are suddenly not allowed to be normal?! Don't you understand how pathetic that makes you feel?!" He was close to screaming, every single ounce of his body struggling to hold back the tears and hurt and the unbearable pain that just needed to poured out. Instantly Kai tugged Cole into a tight hug, desperate sobs sinking in and dampening the red shirt.

The Fire Master propped the raven onto his lap more comfortably, snaking his arms around the smaller boy's waist. "Hey… Hey, it's okay. You're not worthless, Cole, please don't say that…"

"I-I just don't understand w-why it had to be me," He stuttered helplessly, holding onto his brother for dear life. Kai purse his lips, not really sure why to say. He'd been in situations like this when he and his sister were younger; Nya would cry over the petty, unimportant things.

But this was different.

Cole was crying about life… and it was breaking Kai's heart.


	4. The visit

Brad's unforgiving stare pierced through the innocent souls of the five ninja, despite his right eye being forced under heavy bandages, and the other swollen and purple. The doctor had just left the room, leaving the small crowd to surround the bed in a painfully heart-wrenching silence.

A single choke averted everyone's attention, however.

Lloyd held a clenched fist over his mouth, squinting his eyes in a poor effort to calm himself down. His whole body was tense— yet shaking at the same time. Jay hastily cocked a brow; seeing Lloyd this broken was extremely rare for them. "L-LLoyd…?"

"I'm fine." The blond snapped, his lip quivering with every word spoken. "I'm-No. We're all here f-for Brad… And Brad only." His gaze drifted back to the bed, his childhood friend silently fighting for his life as the steady beeps of the monitors echoed around the room. Moments later, Jay had taken the weeping green ninja into his embrace, gently soothing his rightful nerves. Cole had absentmindedly found his way to Zane, leaning quietly against the taller boy's chest, while Kai dragged over a nearby chair and perched himself at Brad's bedside, staring intently at the damaged victim.

Although he'd never admit it, the Fire Master did feel somewhat guilty for the attack. If he hadn't of been– Kai narrowed his brows in self doubt, trying to retrack his steps. _Wait… What were we doing that night?_ The memory had been deleted from his brain, despite him remembering events before and after the certain time. _That doesn't even matter! We should've been there to stop it. Thanks to us, the city is now in danger again… And now Lloyd…_ He glanced up at his friends. _And now we're all gonna get the blame for it… Awesome._ Kai sighed, irritably running a sweaty palm through his hair. Now wasn't the greatest time for a family crisis. Regarding the rest of the situation, forensics were calculating results on the crime scene, the dead mother and her scarred family and children… and the dog.

The 'Beast' that had ever so disgustingly ruined everything. If anything happened to his team- Kai swore to God he would rip that satan hound to shreds with as much mercy as it gave its victims.

Absolutely none.

First he would stab it with his sword, the first place that seemed a painful enough target. Then he would set the Beast a light, watching smugly, proudly, devilishly as it burnt into ash. Ash that would be forced to another Relm for all he cared; as long as it was away from his friends.

He figured that Ronin would be asked to get involved by the authorities; he was good at being an overall annoyance when it came to stopping people and things happen- Kai knew that all too well. Sure, that was kind of his job now… a profession, you could say, but he still found ways to medle and steal the limelight from the true heroes.

 _Us. We're the true_ _heroes._

The true heroes that were practically responsible for this unwanted situation. It had been about five minutes since the other four had left the room, it being clear to them that Kai was deep in his thoughts. Kai, however, hadn't acknowledged any of this. He growled. He was determined to find out why the Beast did what he did; he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

 _On the way out of the hospital, pick up the newspaper._

 _Research every single little detail that was mentioned, even the colour of its eyes._

 _Prepare for further interrogation on his team and pedestrians in the local area._

But, before he could promise himself anything, the Fire Master was in need of another dose of painkillers.

* * *

As soon as Lloyd entered the bounty he headed straight to his bedroom, whilst Kai departed to his own quarters. Nya chewed her lip curiously as her brother shoved past her, shooting the Fire Master an unseen death glare, and turned on her heel to face the remaining three. Cole yawned into his hand as he forced himself not to cuddle into Zane, the Nindroid glancing awkwardly down at the shorter boy. Jay coughed into his fist, clearing his throat. "Brad isn't good, to say the least. Lloyd completely lost it in there- it was something I'd never seen before."

Nya sighed, offering a small, determined smile at her boyfriend. "I'm sure he'll be fine – both of them, that is. Remember, technology has advanced way over what we thought was possible in the last few years, so we've got nothing to worry about."

"You didn't see him, Nya. It was like something out of goddamn movie! No wonder Lloyd got so upset, Brad was far from 'stable'. Kai said he's gonna look deeper into the evidence and whatever, so we're leaving him to that." The Lightning Master looked over at his two brothers. Well, now only one, seeing as Zane had randomly disappeard out of sight(most likely to the kitchen), leaving Cole to tiredly stumble about in a sleepy daze. Jay pursed his lips as he held his friend still, his grip on the Raven's shoulder tightening ever so slightly. "Guess that earlier all that crying washed out your energy, hey?" He laughed playfully as Cole's cheeks suddenly became dusted with pink.

"Shut up, Jay." He grumbled, looking away from the couple. Nya and Jay exchanged smug looks as they watched the shy boy trot off to the kitchen, most likely in search of a snack.

Jay muttered casually, still staring at the direction Cole had just left to. "Nervous eater?"

Nya nodded firmly. " _Nervous eater._ "

* * *

 **This story is gonna start getting darker as the chapter go on, because… how do I say this?… shit goes down.**

 **Person: But, Natasha? Isn't that like _all_ your fanfics? **

**Me: W-Well… I, um, y-you see~**

 **Basically, expect blood, swearing, MAJOR plot twists, gayness, and (maybe?) death? SO THE USUAL THEN**

 **Also, side note, as you guys can tell, I haven't been updating my stories as frequently as I usually do, and that's because I had my birthday last week, and obviously Christmass and New Years is on the way, so hopefully I'll be back on track towards the end for January time-ish? So that's that.**

 **Oh! And don't forget to review on who/what you think of the 'Beast'! I'd really like to hear your views and thoughts on the situation so far!**

 **Merry Christmas!**


	5. The kitchen

Cole quietly entered the kitchen, squatting down next to the fridge and opening it. Zane glanced over his shoulder at his cute teammate as the smaller boy dug into one of the compartments and pulled out a creamy, vanilla ice lolly.

"I suggest that you opt for a more healthier snack?" The Nindroid stated. He paused his washing up and turned to Cole, watching intently as he began to suck on the ice lolly. A moment passed before Zane spoke again, narrowing his brows anxiously. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Cole, but should I be feeling somewhat jealous of that ice lolly?"

Cole gagged surprisedly on the said treat as Zane stepped closer to him, tilting his head upwards as the shorter boy lowered the hand holding the ice lolly. "Ha…ah…" He blushed darkly and stared up at the blond, a thick trail of the vanilla ice seeping from the corner of the raven's mouth. Suddenly Zane moved his hands downwards to take two meaty handfuls of the shy boy's ass, being equally as quick to silent the startled gasp with a hungry kiss. Before they knew it Cole was bent over the counter, hands gripping tightly at his soft locks of hair and ice lolly half-melted on the floor.

Zane clamped his hand over Cole's mouth to muffle the breathless moans as he tried to slip a cold hand down the tight skinny jeans of his lover, slightly concerned as to whether or not it would be possible to fit his hand inside such little space. Sharply, the Nindroid tugged down the problematic clothing, slightly gobsmacked to see the actual size of Cole's ass up close. "I can see that the Dance school has paid off quite nicely," He eagerly pulled on the waistband of the black boxers and snapped it teasingly against the Earth Master's hips.

"Z-Zane…" Cole whimpered as the boxers were pulled down, shivering as he felt the icy fingers graze delicately across the supple flesh.

* * *

Kai stared blankly at the newspaper in front of him, as well as the random assortment of books spread out around him on his bedroom floor. The photograph, courtesy of Brad, was pretty much useless. Sure, you could definitely make out some kind of dog-thing, but that was about it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, chewing his lip sternly as he sent out Chirp to his 'definitely not bought' followers.

"Umm… 'Hey everyone! Be sure to keep in touch with us if you know anything about the Headlines and attacking it would really help thanks!" He licked his lips dryly, narrowing his stare ever so slightly. "Hm, it needs some emojis,"

' _Hey everyone! B sure 2 keep in touch with us if you know anything bout the Headlines and attacking it would rly help thx_ '

"Anddddd send. There, now we should get more info."

"Anddddd now you should get off your phone and tidy this up." Jay smirked over at the brunet, leaning awkwardly on the doorframe as he nodded towards the scattered books. "Zane's been in the kitchen for like an hour now, wonder what he's cookin'!"

Kai stared blankly over at the latter, squinting in mild perplextion. He glared harder as Jay became more uncomfortable, the Lightning Master laughing nervously as he raised a brow. "Y-You okay, Kai? Are you on your man period?"

Suddenly Kai stood up and began to stroll out his bedroom, ushering his brother out with him as he began a stern, clearly serious conversation. "I'm going to interrogate all of you later. I know that one of us has something to do with this; it happens every time fucked up things are in Ninjago." He turned a corner in the direction of the kitchen, Jay hot on his tral. "To be honest the only people I trust in our team is Nya and Myself. Not even Sensei. It can't be Lloyd because of how upset he is, so it's either you," They both pushed open the door and stepped in. It took them a moment to process what was going on. "C-Cole or Zane…"

Cole was sitting calmly on the island at the side of the kitchen, cheeks flushed to a sexy shade of crimson as he performed various tongue movements around the ice lolly in his mouth. Zane watched smugly as he rested his jaw in his palm, elbow supporting his head on the island's wooden surface. It was clear that the scandalous duo hadn't noticed they were being watched, so it came as a surprise to hear the intruders' reactions when Cole began to deepthroat the lolly.

Jay spun on his heel desperately and shielded his eyes, the soft, wet swallows and gags coming from his friend turning his brain into a heap of mush, forcing him to make a straight dash for the door and his freedom. Kai just stood their, phone out, recording everything, and low-key turned on. Well, if you ignored his quickly growing boner, that is. Suddenly the light slaps of Cole's tongue lapping up the vanilla cream of the ice lolly was replaced with a mortified gasp,Zane snapping his head round a whole 180° to stare at his traumatized brothers.

"W-We can explain!" Zane practically begged, his innocence kicking back in again.

"I get it! Being the Ice Master you have an Ice fetish? Oh! And that explains why you, Mr Leader of the saviours of Ninjago, like to get down and dirty! It all makes sense now!" Kai chuckled lowly to himself as he saved the video, specifically into a certain folder, and slid his phone back into his pocket. He smirked over at Cole as the Earth Master slowly lowered the lolly stick from his mouth and down his tongue, making sure to get the remaining flavours before throwing it skillfully in the trash at the opposite end of the room.

"I was hungry-"

"And so are the _Glacier_ fangirls. Videos been up there for like ten seconds and you've both become Ninjago's power couple! Congrats guys!"

"My dad follows you!"

"Oh! So he does! But hey, isn't this the least of our worries at the moment? Remember Brad?"

Cole hopped off the island and stormed towards his friend, extremely pissed. "I'm not gay! My dad- He can't see this!"

"Why so defensive, CupCake?" Kai began to walk out the kitchen, grinning evilly. "You're so dramatic! You think I would really post that gay shit? It's just a prank, bro." And with that he left the two lovers in the kitchen, and journeyed back to his bedroom, having his southern, predominant friend in need of some fresh action courtesy of the juicy footage.

* * *

 **I high-key want to put in some shipping wars just because why the fuck not.**

 **Also the next chapter should be more of a darker one like the previous ones, I just thought this story needed a dash of homosexuality and comic relief.**

 **Please review! Much love!**


	6. The threat

Cole was still extremely annoyed with Kai, even if the little intrusion was yesterday.

Kai enjoyed this, however. He would retort and snap back snarky comments for his own amusement, finding that Cole was actually quite childish depending on his anger levels."Ya know," The brunet smirked to himself as he looked up from staring down at the city below them, leaning comfortably on the railings. "It's a full moon tonight. Maybe the dog will come out again."

Cole nodded quietly, sighing as he rested his jaw in his palm. Kai glanced over at him, narrowing his gaze a fraction. "You okay? Something on your mind?"

"No… not really. You wouldn't understand anyways." He mumbled, his emerald eyes glinting in the evening moonlight as he peered at his surroundings peacefully.

Kai carefully inched closer to his brother. "Try me. Listen, if it's about yesterday-"

"I think I'm gay, Kai." Cole turned to face the taller boy, his expression firm yet doubtful. "No. I am gay. And I'm worried that my boyfriend is just pretending because they don't understand the concept of sexualities."

The fire master licked his lips anxiously, taking a moment to process his next words. "S-So… your boyfriend is Zane? Because that would explain the sudden closeness between you two." He paused. "Something happened when you both went to the shops a while back, didn't it? The was definitely some tension between-"

"God, Kai, I get it! Yes, Zane is my boyfriend. And yes, something happened at the shops. We kissed, and that was it." Cole exhaled nervously as he began to walk away, suddenly being tugged backwards rather harshly by his sleeve. Kai gripped the smaller boy's shoulders and stared at him sternly, now extremely serious.

"Zane did something to you in the kitchen. Making you deepthroat an ice lolly is bad enough, but it couldn't have given you such an exhausted and breathless face. Tell me, Cole."

"I…" Swallowing thickly, the raven avoided his teammate's glaring. "I guess it- You see… it wasn't really meant to happen… I mean… I just came in to get a snack—"

"How does 'getting a snack' turn into 'booty sex'?! You can't just fuck in the kitchen!"

"It wasn't like that!"

"Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!"

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up! Jesus Christ, Cole, I'm gonna kill you holy shit! Why, though?! Why would you bang in the place where all the food is?!"

"Stop patronising me!" Cole yelled, before storming off inside the ship, leaving the brunet on his own. Once out of earshot, Kai burst into a laughing fit, holding his stomach as the pain began to become uncomfortable. Blissfully he sighed to himself, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands, turning smoothly on his heel to make his way inside the Bounty.

An inhuman noise escaped Kai's mouth as he jumped, clutching his heaving chest as he calmed down. Zane stood in the doorway, silent, still, unmoving, as he stared back at his frightened brother. His bright blue optics shone with an almost gold-ish tint in the brightening moonlight, staring deep into the fiery depths of Kai's soul.

"What did you say to Cole. He is in his room on his own. I am worried for him." Zane cocked his head sharply to the left as he began to stroll closer to Kai, the fire master more confused than scared.

"I just asked him why you two fucked in the kitchen. Any other questions?"

"Yes, actually." Zane came to an abrupt halt when only centimeters away from his teammate's face, a sceptical frown appearing. "Why is Pixal saying that you need to sleep?"

"I don't know, maybe because I'm tired of your bullshit?" Kai grinned smugly and folded his arms across his chest. "Any who, I'm off to bed. Gotta keep my sleep schedule on track." And with that the Fire Master patted his elder brother firmly on the back, chuckling light-heartedly as he began to venture back into the ship.

Zane, however, rather aggressively clamped his hand on Kai's arm, forcing him to once again listen to the Nindroid's questionings. "What did you say to him, because he doesn't seem how he normally is."

"I just told him that it was gross and weird that you two got it on in the kitchen, and that I was gonna k—" Kai paused quite abruptly, even socking himself with his own sudden hesitation. Quietly he muttered to himself, probably a few cusses of some sort, and harshly shrugged off Zane's hand. He licked his lips as he turned his back on the Ice Master, brows and gaze narrowed in a noticeably concerned glare, as if he were contemplating something. "Goodnight, Zane." Stubborn and scarily anxious for some reason, Kai marched inside.

* * *

Jay groaned as he was forced to get out of bed, the door, yet rapid knocking on his bedroom door being an irritating surprise at such a late time at night. Sluggish, he dragged his feet over to his weapon stand and took hold of a pair of nunchucks, before making his way across the room to the door.

"Jay I don't know what to do and it really hurts…" Cole met his friend's previously stern glare with pleading eyes. The earth ninja shakily guestured to his left arm, the wound tightly held with an extremely bloody right hand. Jay could only drop his nunchucks in horror, ordering the shorter boy follow him down and through the Bounty as the Lightning Master decided to wake the entire ship up with his shouting.

"COLE IS DYING AND I DON'T KNOW—"

"Shut up, Jay!" Lloyd yelled upon entering the dinning room. Everyone soon came in, each taking their time to stare at Cole rather intimidatingly. The raven had yet to remove his hand from his arm, despite the heavy amount of blood being dispersed, which greatened everyone's concerns even more.

Wu sighed, looking at his injured student rather bluntly. "Take off your hand, Cole. If you don't show us then we can't help you."

Slowly the Earth Master dropped his hand, grimacing as he moved his arm about slightly, the warm, fresh blood seeping from the exposed tissue as it added to the sticky, thick blood that was drying. He let his gaze drift over to his boyfriend, narrowing his brows desperately as all Zane did was shake his head firmly, no sign of emotion whatsoever. Suddenly Nya ran in with a first aid box, pulling out bandages and disinfectant and more bandages. Quickly she ushered Cole into a chair and began cleaning the wound, not really sure what it was at the moment. "You guys can all go now. I'm alright just doing this." Nya stated, not taking her eyes off Cole as she waved her hand in the direction of the door. Cole felt his eyes sting as he watched Zane leave the room, not even acknowledging how upset he was. It only took a few minutes for Nya to completely clean off most of the blood, now being able to make out what the wound actually was.

"You got scratched? How was that possible if we don't– Oh god."

Cole nodded, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "I saw it, in the bathroom, so I tried to hit it but missed and punched the mirror instead. It then stared clawing at my arm and face," He carefully lifted up his blood-matted bangs to show her a thin cut on his forehead, not that major, but it still needed to be cleaned up. "I don't know how it got inside the Bounty, especially as we have high tech security."

"Bet you it's someone on the ship." Kai suddenly appeared from the kitchen, nodding over at the two as a silent greeting. It was only now that they both realised that Kai wasn't in the room before with everyone else. "When I spoke with Zane earlier he seemed pretty pissed."

"It wouldn't be someone on this ship… would it?" Cole suddenly became extremely serious. "I… No one would want to hurt me, right? It's not like one of us is the dog, is it?"

"It can't be you, because you were attacked by it… so that means… Kai!" Nya spun around on her chair to face her brother. Kai yelped nervously and scratched his cheek, now quite embarrassed.

"What, Nya."

His sister abruptly silenced herself, staring more darkly at her older sibling. "N-Never mind… it's not important…" She spoke, taking note of the dark red substance streaked down Kai's cheek from where he had itched it moments before.


	7. The relationship

**Gay chapter with multiple ships so yeahhhhhhhhhh**

* * *

Lloyd nodded anxiously into the telephone, silent streams of tears running down his cheeks. "Y-Yes… Thank you so much… Goodbye." He licked his lips and sniffed as he lowered the phone shakily away from his cheek, turning to face three brothers who were positioned comfortably on the sofas.

"So?" Jay leaned forwards intriguingly. "What did they say?"

The blond simply answered with a bright smile, feeling himself become more emotional. "He's making a stable recovery! Oh my gosh I can't wait to see him again!"

A small cheer erupted from Kai, Jay and Zane, all very happy about the good news. Finally there was signs of hope for Brad, small signs, but there was definitely something worth holding on to. "That's great! Hopefully now we'll get more clues as to finding out the dog's identity." Kai stated, earning agreed nods from Lloyd and Jay as they began to talk about further investigations.

Zane, however, was far from convinced about his brother's ideas. Nya had spoked with him about her sibling's odd appearances during Cole's attack, rasing his suspicions even more. Quietly he excused himself from the living room as he began a quick walk to his boyfriend's bedroom; He knew Cole would be in here, considering his inconvenient injury. "Cole? Are you in there?"

"Y-Yeah! Hold on a minute!" The frantic squeak from the younger boy was quickly followed by some rather concerning bumps and yelps. Suddenly the door swung open, the flustered ninja taking an aggressive step to the to side as the door skimmed his wounded arm. With a nervous giggle Cole shifted his gaze to meet Zane's, the Nindroid simply brushing past and making his way over to the bed.

Cole narrowed his brows as the door was slowly closed, slightly confused at his boyfriend's off behaviour. "Okay then… Are-Are you alright, babe?"

"I'm upset with you, Cole; I know what you and Kai have been up to." He beckoned the baffled teen to sit beside him, gently patting the black duvet assuringly.

Bewildered, Cole took his seat, not hesitating to disagree. "Me and Kai? Why would I? What-What ever gave you that idea? He's got a thing with Skylar, hasn't he? I swear they're still talking, aren't they–" Zane pressed a cold finger against his boyfriend's soft lips as he shook his head mockingly.

"Kai is the dog. He attacked you."

The Earth Master nearly choked in shock, finding the accusation quite pathetic. "You're just annoyed at him for what happened about the kitc—"

"Nya said she saw blood on his cheek. He is also experiencing a concerning change in his behaviour around you, which would explain his mood swings and overall… emotions." He sighed, taking Cole's hands in his slightly larger ones. "I'm jealous of Kai because he is becoming closer to you… You need to understand that. If he gets too close, he could take advantage of you, hurt you,"

"Zane!" Cole angrily raised his voice, cheeks coloured to an irritated shade of pink. "Kai is straight! And also, he isn't the dog! I was in the accident; I know what was and wasn't there! Trust me, it wasn't Kai!" The couple were quick to become extremely pissed off with each other, the argument heating up as each male became more and more defensive. Soon enough they were both standing up, Zane gradually becoming more powerful as Cole realised how pathetic the quarrel actually was. "Zane! I'm sorry, we should just leave it, calm down." He hastily gripped his boyfriend's shoulders, wincing slightly as the movement triggered a sharp pain from his healing wound from under the bandages.

The Nindroid licked his lips angrily and avoided eye contact looking anywhere but his lover. "I can't calm down, Cole. I want to, but I can't." He shoved off the earth Master's hands and turned his back on him, muttering to himself. " I just don't like knowing the a member of our team is hurting you! Probably wanting you DEAD!" A cold hand harshly slapped itself across Cole's left cheek, the pure sound of metal hitting flesh being a sign to the other ninja, who were still in the living room, that someone was wrong. Zane struck the short boy again, this time with a painful kick at the shins, before fully knocking him to the floor. Cole felt his eyes start to sting,the impact of his injured arm and the floor being the worst pain of all. "I Don't Want Kai Hurting You!" After every word came another kick in a different place.

"Z-Zane…!" Cole attempted to push himself off the floor. As soon as Zane noticed this, his kicked his foot at the center of the raven's face, the back of his head smacking against the wall as the tears were, literally knocked out of him. Now sporting numerous bruises, a reopened wound and a bloody nose and a deadly headache, Cole closed his eyes, praying that something would—

"Cole?! Zane?! What the fuck?!" Jay stood in the doorframe, jaw dropped in shock as he abruptly paused the brutal attack. Zane, frozen in time, didn't dare to look at his brother's, only hold his stare on the beaten body in front of him.

Jay began scanning the room, before Kai shoved past him. "His arm… Jay, move already holy crap, man!" The fire master crawled over to Cole, completely ignoring Zane. "Cole? Cole look at me, listen to me!" He gently shook the beaten ninja, swallowing thickly as he gasped out in pain. Suddenly Kai began touching and squeezing the boy, trying to find somewhere that wasn't damaged. "LLoy—" Kai turned to the door, expecting to she the green ninja. "Jay! Where's Lloyd!"

Jay raised a finger to silence his angry brother, too busy confronting Zane. Kai growled, trying to get Cole into the recovery position before anything else could happen.

"You're raping him!" Zane yelled, pushing Jay out the way and tugging Kai off his boyfriend. "I told him that you would do that! How can I protect him if the killer dog is assaulting him?!"

"IM NOT THE DOG! YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING HYPOCRITE!" Kai snapped, turning back around to continue with Cole. His eyes were a much darker shade of green, the pretty yellow and brown flecks now lost into the darkens. What surprised Kai the most was that when he positioned himself on the floor to look deep into his brother's eyes, his pupils expanded a considerable amount. "Cole… I'm really shitty in medical situations… but I'm gonna promise to keep you away from that psycho boyfriend of yours for as long as you want. I'll do whatever you feel is in order, I'll be like your handsome bodyguard or something~" He grinned slightly as the corners of Cole's mouth twitched into a small, but noticeable smile. "See, I knew you were listening."

Cole smiled once again, but his gaze quietly drifted over to his arm, watching intently as the fresh, sticky blood pierced through the tiny holes of the bandaged layers. Kai was quick to notice this, counting under his breath before awkwardly scooping Cole into his arms, biting his lip as the shorter boy groaned in displeasure. "Shhhh, don't worry. I'll get you sorted out."

* * *

Kai licked his lips as he held the tissue up to Cole's nose, trying his best not to pass out. The brunet was never good with blood, especially when it was of one of his friends. Cole punched his nose carefully, nodding anxiously for the tissue to be removed. Kai held his breath as he quickly disposed of the bloody tissue, dashing to the sink the wash his hands straight after.

Cole hadn't spoken a single word. Whether it was because he was still in shock, or that he was just exhausted, Kai didn't know, but one thing was for sure, that something was up.

Sitting back down at the said ninja's bedside, Kai coughed lightly into his fist. Cole looked at him, nodding in acknowledgment for the elder to speak. "You look so innocent, Cole; so vulnerable. It's weird seeing you like this! You're supposed to be the tough guy! The one who doesn't get hurt! The guy who doesn't feel pain, doesn't feel emotion, they guy who… deserves a lot better than Zane…"

Cole blinked, unsure how to react. Had Kai just claimed that they should break up? "I don't understand…" He whispered, catching Kai's attention. "Are you saying I'm emotionless? That I'm not meant to feel weak?"

"That's not—"

"Because if it is then you have no idea what you're talking about, considering everyday I find something that isn't right about me. I don't care how sorry you feel for me, Kai, I will always hide my emotions and secrets from everyone, and now thanks to you I'm battered and bruised and no one can except the fact that I'm acting like a pussy. What would you do if your girlfriend beat you up, whilst saying that they didn't want to hurt you? It's confusing and scary and none of your damn business. I can protect myself; I don't need back up for being abused."

Kai sighed, running as hand through his hair. "You're contradicting yourself, Cole." He muttered, taking his time to examine his friend's facial features. Suddenly he raised his hand to gently graze across Cole's previously slapped cheek, not taking his stare away from the Black ninja. Cole parted his lips nervously as he cheeks heated up, not breaking a second of eye contact with his friend.

"It hurt so much…" He whispered, shyly looking down as he took a firm grip in Kai's hand. "I'm sorry for being a dick."

Kai swallow thickly at the affectionate apology, taking him slightly by surprise. "I would hug you, but you'll probably get hurt." He chuckled half-heartedly as Cole smiled, giggling as well.

 _What a cute laugh…_


	8. The split

**This is gonna be short 'filler' chapter, but it does build up important shtick for the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Kai! Stay with the group!" Lloyd shouted over at the brunet, watching in frustration as he marched deeper into the woods.

The Fire Master groaned loudly. Annoyed, he stopped in his tracks and spun around, now shining his torch straight at everyones' eyes. "What's the point in searching for this dog, if we're all just gonna stick in the same place? It's already getting late, so we shouldn't be wasting time!"

Jay sighed and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "I'm gonna go off, too, ya'know? Kai does have a point." He nodded firmly over at the stubborn teen. "I'll take Cole with me, as well." His hand took hold of Cole's, grimacing slightly at the slightly sweaty feel of it. Of course he'd be nervous; reluctantly forced out of bed and out into the cold. Apparently he was here for extra muscle if the dog did show up, which made Jay laugh, considering they all actually expected Cole to fight this thing, like, days after it had nearly ripped his head off. Zane had said that he wanted to see his boyfriend 'get out more', because obviously Cole was being lazy by laying in bed and recovering for his abuse injuries.

Cole was bait.

There was no other, logical reason as to why he was freezing his ass of with the rest of them.

"No." Zane clamped his hand down on the raven's shoulder, staring intimidatingly down at Jay. "He is mine, so I shall take him."

"Um, sorry, but Cole's coming with me." Jay tugged lightly on his friend's arm, growling as Zane tugged that little bit harder on his shoulder.

"You are incorrect, Cole's is coming-"

"With me!"

"Jay. It is unwise for you to have him to yourself."

"Pfft, ha! Talk about being a hypocrite!"

"I'm going on my own! Holy shit! Calm down, you're both acting like children!" Cole exclaimed, wincing slightly as he freed himself from both the uncomfortable grasps. Brows furrowed and face darkened to one of sheer anger, the Earth Ninja sternly began his journey past Kai and deeper into the dense forest. The brunet clenched his fists as they watched him disappear through the darkness and out of sight, more and more frustration growing inside of him.

"Ugh!" He threw the torch hardly down at the ground, the light flickering slightly as the others gasped.

"Kai! What are you doing?!" Jay's eyes widened sharply.

"I'm not letting you leave him on his own. I'm the Master of Fire the God's sake!" He snapped. Jay pursed his lips firmly, sucked in a deep breath, and dashed off in a fast sprint past Zane. Lloyd groaned. This wasn't going very well.

The Green Ninja silent gave up, excusing himself stubbornly.

Zane stared over at Kai, brows narrowed slightly in intimidation. Calmly he walked closer to the shorter boy, suddenly pulling his shirt upwards to force him onto his tiptoes. The Nindroid breathed heavily, eyes darkened. Kai growled uncomfortably as he tried to break from the strong hold on his shirt, gritting his teeth together angrily.

"Admit you're the dog."

" _Never_."


End file.
